


To Those Who Need Them Most

by likehandlingroses



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2015-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-24 03:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1590527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likehandlingroses/pseuds/likehandlingroses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When three little girls arrive at Gold's shop, sent by the fairies and ready to start a family with their new "parents," Belle is thrilled. Rumple, however, distrusts this intervention by the fairies. As the girls attempt to win over Rumple's heart, still broken by the loss of his son, Belle seeks to uncover more about them. She soon discovers that, when dealing with the "gifts" of the fairies, things are far from simple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Color

 

“There might be _fifteen_ of them?”

“There isn’t _usually_ ,” Belle said, looking up from the book she was reading from. “That’s just the highest recorded number."

Ignoring Rumple's look of dismay, she glanced back down at the page. "Actually, they tend to show up on their own. But if they come in groups, the average is about seven."

There were times when Rumple found Belle's penchant for research both impressive and endearing. Now was not one of those times. 

“Oh, well as long as there are only _seven_ fairy children being forced upon me…”

Belle shut her book and raised her eyebrows. “They are not being forced upon you. They only come to people who need them.”

Rumple scoffed. “’Need’ being defined by the fairies, who, if you’ll remember, are the ones who _lost_ them in the first place.”

 “Yes, and now they’ve found us, and it’s our job to take care of them. They’re just little girls, Rumple.”

“No, no see,” Rumple’s voice lowered, and he glanced back at the back room as though the pests might hear him and enact vengeance before he could finish. “They aren’t. They only look that way because we’re here in Storybrooke. If we were in the Enchanted Forest? They’d be as small as your little finger, and…and I’ve heard they have wings, sometimes.”

“Oh no, not _wings_!” Belle teased. “I think it’s sweet…they come out of flowers, did you know _that_?”

“Yes, I knew _that_ ,” Rumple replied. “And it doesn’t comfort me, either. The whole thing is entirely unnatural.”

“Yes, well, whatever they are, they’re ours now. I’m going to check on them; you stay there if you’re going to be sour.”

Rumple sighed as she disappeared behind the curtain to the back room. Everyone knew children gifted by the fairies brought more trouble than they were worth. The fairies pretended magic could be given without cost, but he knew better. The more of them they stuffed into the back room, the higher the price would be.

 Belle was right too, of course. There was no giving them back. The children could never be happy in the home of anyone else. Some stories claimed children refused by their parents withered and died like the flowers they came from. No matter how ghoulish the prospect of raising fairylike creatures born from flowers seemed to him, he wouldn’t subject them to that. It wasn’t their fault they were brought into the world.

Though one of these days, he might need to have a chat with those whose fault it _was_. 

For now, there was nothing to do but let them pile into his car when he closed up shop a half an hour later. The three of them were tiny things, their feet unable to touch the car floor when they were sitting ("we ought to get them boosters seats, Rumple", Belle remarked). They weren't able to do up their own seat belts, and as Rumple assisted the girl on the left (he’d have to ask Belle for their names again), she reached out to touch his tie.

“Your tie is pretty,” she said, stroking the purple stripe on it. “Is purple your favorite? Mine’s green.”

“Mine’s rainbow!” the girl next to her proclaimed, in a voice quite loud for her small frame. The girl on the other end giggled, but said nothing.

“What’s yours, Laurel?” Belle asked. Laurel blushed and stared at her hands.

“Blue,” she murmured.

“Blue’s my favorite,” he heard Belle whisper back to her. The child beamed, and Rumple felt something twinge inside of him. He shut the door to the backseat harder than he meant to, and the girl sitting next to the window jumped.

“I’ll ask Nova how to find out how many there are,” Belle said after they’d started back home. “There has to be a record somewhere, or maybe a spell we could use.”

“And if there isn’t?”

“Well then we’ll just have to keep our eyes out for any more. If they’re here, they’ll find us.”

“Hmph,” Rumple grimaced. “Remind me again what they’re called?”

“ _You’re_ asking _me_ for names?” Belle smirked. “Daisy’s in the middle. Poppy’s the one on the left, and then there’s Laurel.”

“Ah, yes, I remember. They’re all plants. How trite.”

“Rumple,” she hissed, looking back at them. “They’re sweet names for very sweet girls. You just hush.”

He didn’t say anything after that.

“Your house is pink!” Daisy yelled in excitement when the car pulled into the drive. The other two girls giggled and pressed their noses to the windows. Belle gave Rumple a grin, and he sighed in response.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that the ever shouting Daisy would prove most difficult to handle. She managed to spill three glasses of milk at dinner, and Rumple could have sworn the last two were on purpose.

“She wants your attention,” Belle told him. “And you know, you really don’t have any right to complain. You’re a positive expert at pestering.”

Laurel didn’t speak much to anyone, though she hardly had the chance to with her sister jabbering away next to her. She seemed shy of Rumple in particular, and that managed to unnerve him more than the constant spilling of glasses.

The worst of all was at the end of the meal, when Poppy pranced up to his chair and climbed onto his lap. Belle looked delighted, so he let her stay there without protest, though it made something inside him ache. She was quiet and still, tracing his fingers with her own tiny pointer.  The feeling of pain went away after a while, replaced by something much more welcome. Then she tilted her chin up to look at him before twisting herself around to give him a squeeze.

“My papa,” she whispered into his shoulder.

Poppy was off his lap as quickly as he could manage without actually pushing the girl. His chair nearly fell over as he shot out of his seat. He made for the stairs, but Belle’s voice followed him.

“Rumple-”

“I’m going upstairs.”

She was already at his side. “I know it’s difficult for you, but-”

“But what?” he hissed. “But what? Some fairy child was programmed to say I’m her father, so I just have to accept it? I’m not her father.”

“She thinks you are. They all do.”

“Well, that’s easy to fix, isn’t it?” He turned back to table and stepped forward until he’d reached the edge of it. Poppy still stood next to his chair, her eyes wide and her lower lip quivering.

“I’m not your papa,” he spit out, forcing himself to look at her as he spoke. “I’m not your _anything_. I don’t know what the pixie dust they shoved into your head made you think-”

“Rumple!”

“-but it seems, once again, the fairies were mistaken. I’ll let you stay here, but whatever else you were planning, whatever grand scheme you’ve been created for? It’ll have to go, because I’m not interested.”

He was up the stairs and into his bedroom before anyone had a chance to protest. One of the girls was wailing now, though how long that would distract Belle he didn’t know. As he collapsed onto the bed, he thought perhaps her inevitable anger would be preferable to the sick feeling developing in the pit of his stomach.

He didn’t have to wait long to find out. The door was thrust open only a few minutes later. It took him some time to work up the nerve to look at her, and she didn’t begin to speak until he did.

“I’ll ask Nova if there’s any way the fairies can take them back,” she began, and Rumple sat up straight in shock.

“But why-”

“Why?” Belle snapped, the anger he had expected now bursting forth. “You just shouted at a group of little girls who did nothing but be unreasonably fond of you, and you want to know _why_ I think they should go somewhere else?”

“But won’t they…don’t they need to stay here, with us?”

“What they need is a home. And you don’t want to give that to them. I’m sure the fairies can find them some other place.”

He winced at her words.

"It's not that I don't want to, Belle. I-I can't. It's too much. I know I shouldn't have said what I did; I'm sorry for that. But I can't be their father."

Rumple lowered his head. Belle sat down next to him and took his hand.

“I know this isn’t easy for you. I think what you said was horrid, but you know that already, don’t you?”

He nodded and caught a glimpse of her smile out of the corner of his eye.

“I won’t scold you any more, then. And if having them here causes you that much pain, Rumple, I won’t put you through it. Maybe…maybe we could have them stay at the nunnery for a little while. Visit them, get to know them. Would you be open to that, at least?”

He nodded again. “Yes, of course.”

“Good.” She kissed his forehead before standing up. “I’m going to help them with their baths.”

She stopped in the doorway.  “And Rumple?”

“Yes?”

“An apology to the girls might be nice.”

* * *

 

Belle hadn't yet told them that they'd have to leave. She held out hope that, given a good night's rest, Rumple might change his mind. They were darling little girls, and she knew she'd seen something flicker in his eyes when he'd held Poppy. Some part of him wanted them, and someday, that desire to love would win out over his fear. It always did, in the end.

The three girls were wrapped in towels and chattering to one another when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. She opened it, and Rumple beckoned for her to step out.

"The bedroom across the hall will fit them all, I think. I went in and made sure it was presentable. No dust or clutter."

"Oh good, thank you! Maybe, once they're settled into bed, you could come up and-"

"Best wait for the morning. I think they'd rather not see me right now. I don't want them going to bed upset."

She nodded. "All right, then. I'll be down as soon as I get them to sleep. If you're sure you don't want to help?"

"I think, given the circumstances, I'd be anything but a help," he replied, and Belle let him walk back down the stairs without protest. If he needed time, she'd give it to him. These things couldn't be rushed, after all, especially with someone like Rumplestiltskin.

She didn't know what to give them in the way of pajamas. Rumple could always conjure something up, but Belle had made it a policy to avoid asking him to use his magic, and she wasn't about it break it for pajamas unless it proved absolutely necessary. She snatched up some of her less lacy nightgowns, hoping they would be sufficient. To her relief, the nightgowns, though comically over-sized, would get them through the first night.

"I'll buy you something new tomorrow," she promised. "But these will do for now, I think."

On their way to the bedroom, Daisy ran on ahead and threw open the bedroom door in excitement. She gasped and ran inside. Poppy ran after her, the sleeves of Belle's nightgown falling off of her shoulders. Belle laughed and looked down at Laurel, who had stayed faithfully beside her, though she was standing on her toes in anticipation. 

"This one's mine, look! It's got blue and green and red and purple and everything!"

Daisy's voice echoed into the hall, and Belle's brow knit in confusion. What was she talking about? She quickened her pace towards the open door. When she reached the doorway and saw just what Daisy was shouting about, she stopped in shock.

There were three beds, all different colors. One, which Daisy was currently jumping up and down on, was covered in rainbow polka dots. Poppy stood by a bed with rich, forest green sheeting. And there, in the other corner, was one with baby blue bedding and a sheer canopy over it. On each bed lay a nightgown that matched the sheets. Daisy was already in the process of changing into hers, a task made much more difficult by her bouncing. Belle rushed to help her, and Daisy, half undressed, threw herself into Belle's arms.

"Thank you, Mama!"

"I didn't do it," she explained, helping the squirming Daisy into her new nightgown. "Rumple did."

Daisy shook her head violently. "He did not! He said he didn't like us, and he made Poppy cry!"

"Well, maybe he's sorry for it," Belle said, unable to help the beam that was crossing her face. 

"He is not!" Daisy interjected. "He’s mean!"

Poppy ignored her sister and went up to pull on Belle's skirt. "Is he going to come up here to say goodnight?"

"I'll ask him," Belle said before practically running out of the room. She found Rumple on the couch, thumbing through one of her novels. Before he could notice her, she plopped down next to him and pulled the book from his hands. He stared at her expectantly, and Belle found that she couldn't do anything but grin at him.

"You-uh-you like the room, then?" he finally asked.

"Rumple, it's...you've made them so happy."

He smiled and looked down at his hands. "Belle, you-ah...you don't need to ask the fairies about taking them back."

Belle's eyes widened. "No?"

"No, I-I was thinking, and I..." he paused, closing her eyes for a moment. "...I don't want any more children thinking I don't care for them enough to be a father to them. I made that mistake, and I won't do it again. I might not have asked for them, but that doesn't mean they aren't mine. I know that well enough. They need me, and it doesn't matter if I'm ready or not, I need to do my part. And I will, Belle. I'm sorry for refusing it before, but I've decided now and I-I will."

She threw her arms around him. "You know that's what he'd want." She pulled back to look at him and was relieved to see him nod in agreement.

"I think so."

"Will you come up and say good night to them? I know Poppy wants to see you."

Rumple nodded. "And the other two?"

"Well, you know Laurel. She doesn't say much. Daisy is still angry with you, but it won't last long, I'm sure. They all want you to like them, Rumple. Come on."

She stood up and held out her hand. He took it, and they made their way up the stairs together. From the hallway, they could hear the girls’ laughter. It stopped, however, when they entered the room. Only Poppy remained smiling, though she approached Rumple with some hesitancy in her step.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Oh, I…of course," Rumple said, his voice shaking. "What I said before was...I'm sorry. I was afraid, and I'm not my best when I'm afraid. I've never had...so _many_ people to have to look after. And I was scared. But it won't happen again. This is your home, and you can call me whatever you'd like. In fact, I'd...I'd like it very much if you would call me 'papa.'"

Poppy's arms were around his legs the moment he stopped speaking. Nudging her off of him, his hand cupping the back of her head, he crouched down so that his head was only a little above her own. He clasped the girl to him as she went in for a proper hug. Belle saw Poppy whisper something into his ear, but she couldn't make out what she'd said. Whatever it was, Rumple looked as happy as she'd ever seen him.

"Thank you," he said, brushing a still damp tendril of brown hair out of her eyes. A sudden thought came to Belle's mind.

"You know, Poppy, Rumple's quite good at braiding hair. Maybe he could do for you?" Rumple looked back at her in confusion. "She was asking me earlier if I could do one, but I think you're better at it than I am," she lied. Rumple was her equal at best. 

"You can do braids?" Poppy bounced on her heels in excitement.

"I can," he replied, and a brush and hair ties lay out on the bed as soon as he said it, appearing in a puff of purple smoke. "I can do one now, if you'd like. It'll save you tangles when you wake up in the morning."

It was only after Daisy’s pillow had been thrown that Belle realized the girl hadn't spoken once since they'd come into the room. She had a good aim: the missile hit Rumple straight on the head. Daisy sat glowering on her bed, and she stuck her tongue out at Rumple when he turned to the source of the antagonism.

"Daisy!"

"It's all right," Rumple said quietly. "She has every reason to be upset. I don't suppose you'd like me to do your hair as well?"

Daisy gave a noise that could best be described as a growl and buried herself in her polka dotted blankets. Laurel, however, peeked out of her silken canopy. Belle opened her mouth, but Rumple was quicker.

"Would you like some braids?" he asked Laurel, who twisted a piece of her blonde hair on one of her fingers and nodded in response. Rumple grinned.

"Very good."

Rumple's fingers were quick, and it wasn't long before Poppy was marveling over her braid. Laurel too seemed delighted with the two little braids Rumple had made for her. He left soon after that, leaving Belle to tuck the girls in and shut out the lights. Belle didn't question his quick exit. He might have decided to be strong in the face of pain, but that didn't mean the presence of the girls didn't hurt him in ways she couldn't understand.

Laurel and Poppy each kissed her goodnight, but she couldn't get Daisy to as much as look at her. The girl was determined to pretend she was already asleep, and finally Belle gave up, pressing a kiss to her temple before shutting off the lights.

* * *

 

"But what if it comes back?"

Belle awoke to Daisy's carrying whisper coming from Rumple's side of the bed.

"If you think nice things before you to go sleep, it'll keep the monsters away."

"But I'm scared. I can't think of nice things things _now_."

"Well, there's your sisters and Belle and your new room...think of them."

"I'm too scared to!" Daisy exclaimed. 

Rumple hushed her, but Belle squeezed his hand under the covers to let him know he needn't bother.

"You have to make sure they don't come back," Daisy said, lowering her voice only a little. "That's what the papa is s'posed to do."

"All right, well come on up here, then."

This was clearly the response Daisy had been fishing for. She leaped into their bed and nestled herself into Rumple's arms.

"Now, do you think you can sleep?"

"Mmhm."

She gave a contented sigh and fell silent. After several minutes, Belle shifted closer to Rumple and kissed his head.

"She's got your attention," she whispered.

"It seems she has...Belle?"

"Yes?"

"You don't think there _could_ be fifteen of them, do you?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet another small arrival causes an unexpected conflict.

 “Oh, wow! I’ve never seen any before! Never interested in gardening, myself. Fairy godmother or bust, I always said!” Nova giggled.

“So, you don’t know if there are any more of them?” Belle asked.

“Oh, I can figure that out for you! We keep a record book, it’s…well, it’s somewhere. I’ll find it, just give me a second.”

Daisy sighed and threw back her head in boredom as Nova rushed out of the room.

“It won’t take much longer,” Belle told her.

“We’ve been here a thousand hours already!” Daisy whined. Poppy shushed her, though she and Laurel looked distressed as well.

Belle wished Rumple had come. She hadn’t really expected him to, and, as she’d insisted she would be fine on her own, she couldn’t blame him for his absence. But she’d underestimated the patience taking three small girls anywhere would require, and just now her head was buzzing with the possibility that Nova would tell her to expect many, many more of them.

Fortunately, Nova was true to her word, emerging with a heavy book just several minutes later.

“Let’s see…” she thumped the book down on the table and rifled through the pages. “Ah! Here we are! There’s Poppy, Daisy, and Laurel.” She looked up at Belle and grinned. “It looks like you’re all set!”  

Belle felt her stomach settle. They could manage three. “That’s wonderful, thank you, Nova! I was looking in the library for information about, well… _all_ of this, and I wasn’t able to find very much besides the basics…you don’t happen to have anything more substantial here, do you?”

Nova’s face fell somewhat. “Well, I don’t know…like I said, I’ve never really done this before…but Blue’ll know! Let me get her!”

She was off before Belle could say another word, and Daisy sighed.

“We aren’t gonna leave for another billion years…”

* * *

 

Rumple smirked at the tinkling of the bell over his shop door. “Well, back already, are you? I’ll say this for the fairies, they are efficient.”

He turned from the cabinet to find, not Belle, but a small boy. He stood in front of the door, his hands pressing against the wood behind him. Rumple sighed.

“You’ll be one of the fairies, then?”

The child’s eyes widened, but he nodded. Rumple approached him, and he could see how the boy trembled as he drew closer. He stopped, then, his chest suddenly quite tight.

“What’s your name?”

“Briar,” the boy whispered.

“Ah, of course. Well, right now it’s just me. But you’ll meet everyone else soon enough. We can go see them now, I suppose. Though I was hoping to avoid such a trip…I’ll call Belle.”

Rumple pulled out his cell phone, only to be interrupted by Briar’s shaking voice.

“I can stay?”

“Well, of course.”

It wasn’t until his call went to Belle’s voicemail that he truly realized what the boy had asked. How he had moved closer, the smile on his face still unable to hide an underlying fear.  The blue t-shirt he wore, two sizes too large, had slipped off his shoulder, and Rumple caught a glimpse of nasty looking scar.

“What’s that?” He reached for the boy, and Briar tripped backwards in his haste to get away. He tugged his shirt back into place, his eyes now full of tears.

“Hey, hey…” Rumple lowered himself down to the boy’s level. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Whatever happened before…you’re safe here, all right?”

Briar stared at him for a long time before speaking.

“They took my wings.”

Rumple almost asked why before a wave of self-disgust stopped him. He knew exactly why. Fairy wings were filled with magical properties. He had a jar of them somewhere in the shop, most likely. He’d never collected them himself, of course. It was a gruesome process, he’d heard, and he’d much rather pay someone else to manage the mess. Never had it occurred to him that they might take them from a child. _His_ child.

Already he’d failed the boy. He choked back the tears he could feel coming on before reaching out a hand.

“I’m so sorry, my boy. But it’s all right now. I’m here, I promise.”

Briar was in his arms in another moment, and Rumple forced himself to endure the sobs he heard coming from the child. They were his to bear, as a father. He knew that well enough, and the role came back to him quickly, words of comfort slipping off his lips and soothing both of them.

“Now,” he finally said, his hands coming up to wipe the tears away from the boy’s face. “We’ll go see your sisters, how about that?”

Briar smiled, and Rumple cupped his cheek.

“That’s better. You’ll be all right.”

The joy Rumple received from Briar’s trust managed to propel him to the nunnery and through the front door without the usual waves of frustration and resentment. The ever eager Nova directed him into a sitting room, where Belle sat talking to Blue.

Upon seeing the fairy, Rumple very nearly turned around. But the cry of, “Papa!” and Daisy’s arms around his knees anchored him to the floor.

“Did you come to take us home?”

“No, no, I just needed to tell Belle-”

“Ugh!” Daisy threw herself off him and slouched back onto an armchair.

“Rumple?” Belle stood up and looked at Briar in confusion. “What is it? Who…?”

“Well, we have another one. Briar. Thought you’d want to know. He wouldn’t happen to be the last of them, would he?”

“Oh, I…” Belle looked back at Blue, who was now approaching them with a look of accusation.

“Mr. Gold, I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. This boy isn’t yours.”

“Of course he’s ours, he came right up to the shop, just half an hour ago.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible. You have three, and none of them are named Briar. He must have gotten lost as well. Do you have a compass, Briar?”

He looked tearfully up at Blue before reaching into his pocket and drawing out a compass that looked like it had been molded from the cap of an overlarge acorn. Rumple only just managed to hold back a derisive snort. Blue inspected the compass for a moment before looking down at the boy, puzzled.

“It’s working just as it should. Why didn’t you follow it?”

The boy sobbed and buried himself in Rumple’s side.  Rumple’s hand brushed the child’s hair as he felt his insides twist. He knew why the child had ignored the compass’s directions.

“They hurt him,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry?”

“The family you gave him. They hurt him. Ripped his wings off.” Rumple glared at the fairy, and her affronted look made him seethe.

“That’s not possible, we have an extensive-”

“Oh, I’m sure you do. But it must be hard sometimes, meddling in everyone’s lives when you’re not asked. The occasional mistake is to be expected.”

“Briar,” Blue knelt down in front of him. “Is that true? Did they hurt you?”

After a beat, he nodded. Blue gave a sigh and stood up.

“We’ll take it from here. Thank you for bringing him by.”

She moved as though to take Briar, but Rumple pulled the boy back.

“If he needs another home-”

“Mr. Gold, thank you for your… _interest_ in the child, but we do things a certain way, and-”

“-a certain way? Does it typically include placing children in homes where they’re maimed?”

Blue raised her eyebrows. “I don’t make the rules, Mr. Gold. Magic has its own conditions; surely you of all people know that?"

"Oh, I certainly do. And you know as well as I do that one can always make those conditions work for your own ends."

"Well, not this time. He'll have to be reset."

"Reset?" It was Belle who spoke, her eyes wide. "What...what does that mean?"

"It sounds drastic, but it's really very simple. Just a spell that will put him back in the ground. All the special magic he holds will stay and be reassigned to another family."

There was a silence, and then Rumple spoke, his hands still firmly placed on the boy’s shoulders.

"But what about Briar?"

"What do you mean?"

" _Him_. Briar, _this_ boy, right here. Does he come out the same way?"

Blue’s look of shock told Rumple all he needed to know. "Well, this doesn't happen very often-"

"You don't know, do you? Never cared to check."

"He will become whatever his family needs him to be. I do know that. That's the magic, Mr. Gold. I can't change it, and you certainly can't either."

"So you're just going to kill him."

“If we don’t do it, he will disappear. Forever," Blue snapped. "You understand that? All his magic, all of everything…it will fade away. Is that any better, Mr. Gold?”

“All I know is that you would rather have that magic back inside your domain straight away, rather than risk losing it in an effort to make this boy happy.”

Blue raised herself to her fullest height. “You’re one to talk about wanting power.”

The comment stung, and Rumple fell silent for a moment. Then Briar pressed closer to him, seeking the safety Rumple had promised him. He wouldn’t break his word to the child.

“I’m asking for a chance," he began, more mildly than before. "If he grows ill, then we can reconsider. But I have a theory.”

Blue’s eyes narrowed. “Dark Magic won’t work on this child, Mr. Gold.”

“Who said anything about magic?”

Blue looked at Belle. “Please talk to him, he won’t listen to me.”

To Rumple’s alarm, Belle looked at him, not with support, but concern.

“I…Rumple, maybe she’s right. I mean…I don’t know what else we can do-”

“Well, I’m not giving him to her, I can promise you that. Not until I know there’s no other choice.  And that’s all I have to say on the matter.”

Belle paused to consider his words. The room was heavy and cold. Rumple felt Briar trembling. 

“I'm hungry!" Daisy cried out, apparently unaware of the tensions in the room. "And Laurel told me she is too and Poppy is _always_ hungry and so’s everyone else probably so we should go now. Please!" 

Belle sighed. “All right, Daisy. We’ll go eat.” She looked at Rumple before adding: “-and we’ll take Briar along with us.”

“Finally!” Daisy sprung up out of her seat.

“I’m telling you, it won’t work,” Blue continued to persist even Belle and Rumple readied the children to leave. “It might not happen right away, but he’ll get sick. That’s how the magic works. We can take him now and spare everyone a world of difficulty.”

Rumple didn’t trouble himself with what Belle said to placate the fairy, choosing instead to herd the children out to the car. He’d already spent altogether too much time in that damned nunnery.


End file.
